In ways each of the three entrepreneurs are the same, and in
ways, they are worlds apart. Each is creative, ambitious, and – above all –
confident enough with their intelligence to take some really bold risks. This is particularly true for both Musk and
Branson, who were unafraid to challenge the predetermined notions of society.
Though they went about it in different ways, they both defied the
widely-accepted norms in their chosen industries.
I also found interesting the way each of these entrepreneurs
approached obstacles and barriers-to-entry. It’s as if they saw the challenge
in criticism and made it into an opportunity. For example, Musk’s first major
success, Zip2, essentially virtualized the idea of city listings; had no one
told him that there was no way to replace the Yellow Pages, he probably wouldn’t
have done so. Despite criticism for their seemingly outlandish ideas, they were
each confident enough in their abilities to disprove the scrutiny of
others.
As an entrepreneurship student, I couldn’t help but compare
my own ideals and philosophies to those of these three visionaries. There were
certain qualities in each of them that inspired me. I was fascinated by Elon
Musk’s ability to reshape society by redefining the idea of what’s possible in specific industries. At the
same time though, I was slightly disheartened by his incredible genius – I
mean, he scored one of the highest scores for computer programming abilities
IBM had ever seen…at age 12! How could someone like me – a member of the
non-photographic-memory population – possibly make a difference of that
magnitude? This is one reason why I found Richard Branson to be a real
inspiration. He was dyslexic, quirky, and he’s the kind of guy who gets way
more of a kick out of trying/creating new things than in making heaps of money
(yet he’s still one of the richest people in the world…go figure). All of his
enterprises put a focus on making the customer experience fun and awesome; he
truly cares about the welfare of people in that way and empowers them to also
be adventurous and not take life too seriously. Jim Garland is also extraordinarily
people-focused. Though his business may not seem as groundbreaking as any of
Musk’s or Branson’s, he seems to believe in the power of goodness and inspiration.
Perhaps he’s not a serial entrepreneur, but his business approach focuses on
caring for, investing in, and empowering his employees so that they don’t see
their work as a job, but rather as something they want to wake up and do every
day. Rather than micromanaging, he has faith in his employees’ capabilities and
even helped an employee launch her own business. A boss that truly sees their
employees as assets makes for an incredible person to work for.
Each of these three men possesses unique qualities that make
them excellent innovators: Musk’s intellect, Branson’s nerve, and Garland’s
empathy. But the one characteristic that they all share is passion – a driving force
that finds itself in people of all ages, races, education levels, and
socioeconomic classes, but that is nothing short of essential for a real leader.
By combining their own individual talents with their undying passion, these
entrepreneurs have been able to turn their own ideas into a reality for the whole
world to share.
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